David's Bridal

she rang the bell

{Jen with the bell}

Today Aunt Debbie {MOB} , Jen, my mom {COB} and I {MOH} went to David's Bridal to begin our search for Jen's dream wedding dress!

MOH Emergency Pack

Already being considered the 'soccer mom' of the family [at only 19, and childless] I had to live up to my expectations as {MOH} ! I prepared my "MOH Emergency Pack" filled with the following items:

☆ Notebook & Pen [ to take notes on each dress to review later ]

☆ Water Bottles

☆ Hair Tie & Bobby Pins [ in case she wanted to put her hair up ]

☆ Tissues [ for the unavoidable tears ]

☆ Camera & Extra Battery [ I asked DB to make sure photos were allowed ]

☆ Mints & Crackers

☆ Ibuprofen [ in case the busy DB, or stress, gave anyone a headache ]

☆ Band-aids [ these are in every emergency kit I make... ya never know ]

I also pack a few less serious items like...

☆ A Compass to help lead her to the right dress

☆ A Photo of our grandmother to 'sit on her shoulder' and keep her company

☆ A Nail File in case she got bored

☆ A Lucky Penny

Finally, I printed out this guide on silhouettes for her to review in the car, or while waiting...

{jennasaisquois.blogspot.com}

So, we heard about DB's big sale [ ends July 23rd ] and decided to be risky & visit the store on a Saturday & with no appointment. Luckily, upon hearing Jen's close & upcoming date, they were able to slip her in at the first no-show appointment! We waited approximately five minutes after filling out the proper forms where anyone else probably would have needed to return another day!

{COB} saved our seats at the mirror while our Saleswoman took Jen, {MOB} & I around the store picking out a swatch, shoes, and multiple dresses within our budget to try on. Jen began with 2 dresses to try on. The very first one she came out in drew tears from all of our eyes. She looked stunning! 

After trying on the second dress, and not being impressed, she didn't even want to continue. She fell in love with the first dress and HAD to have it! 

Here's {MOB} & moi tearing up: I blurred out our faces so I wouldn't get yelled at by {MOB} ;)

{you know it's beautiful when everyone cries}

Something I never knew: the dress itself is one price, then ALL of the stuff you wear underneath the dress just continues to rack up the price, oh boy!

&&& 

P.S. >> Despite the nasty reviews we heard about the saleswomen at our DB, we went for the sale & everyone was very nice to us. We had a fantastic day/visit.

Tradition:

I'm not sure if it's a DB tradition or just a wedding dress tradition in general, BUT they told us that it is tradition that once you choose the dress you put it back on and ring a bell in the dress! I'll post a video of her ringing the bell once the wedding is over {that way I don't ruin the surprise of the dress}

We bought the dress after testing out a few bridesmaid dresses to narrow down our options for when Brittney & Caitlin come shopping with Jen & I. The one we all loved {and looked great on me} was far too much $$$ so later, while shopping for shoes & dresses for {MOB} and {COB}, we tried on a few more styles that were a little bit cheaper.

After DB we all went to McAllister's for lunch & laughed & had a wonderful time...even though Jen messed up {MOB}'s lunch & she will never live it down

 -{MOB}:
'I wanted potato salad'

Also, found THE CUTEST, most comfortable/unreasonably tall & expensive heels at Macy's: Sorry for the blurry photo & awkward angle...

{MOH} ~ Maid of Honor

{MOB} ~ Mother of the Bride

{CAB} ~ Carol of the Bride [ lol, my mom didn't like AOB, Aunt of the Bride ]

Hello to all of you Aunt Of the Bride's aka {*insert initial here*OB}

You may feel a tad useless or helpless seeing as there really doesn't seem like there is a position or task list for the Aunt! BUT have no fear, {COB} is here to convince you otherwise & give you helpful tips & ideas!

While she wasn't directly involved in all that we were doing, she definitely helped by:

☆ Saving our seats in front of the mirror

☆ Becoming our chauffeur for the day & taking us to all of the stores

☆ Buying lunch

These seemingly small tasks made a big difference! Of course, she was there as emotional support as well. She had to be there to give her opinion on the dresses & help search for shoes as well as bridesmaid dresses. 

Last but not least, just like the {MOH} is the right hand gal for the Bride, the Aunt is the same for her sister {MOB}! 

{COB} will continue to share how she helps as Aunt of the Bride all along this journey :) So stay tuned...